Sony Group to set up subsidiary Sony Mobility Inc for electric vehicles business

Sony has revealed its second prototype, the Vision-S 02, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The SUV, which joins the existing sedan, the Vision-S 01, was announced together with confirmation that it is exploring an entry into the EV market through Sony Mobility Inc.

The 02 takes after the 01 almost to the point of reproduction, featuring similar almond-shaped taillights, air intake arrangement, side-view cameras, flush door handles, contrasting black roof and cantrails and full-width front and rear light bars integrating a stylised “S” logo, Paultan.org noted.

For the latest version of the prototypes, Sony has installed time-of-flight cameras to enable facial recognition and passenger monitoring, enabling intuitive gesture and voice controls. The cars also now allow users to customise the display theme and “engine sounds”.

Additionally, it offers 5G connection that enables vehicle settings, key locks and user settings to be copied via the cloud to a smartphone app, as well as over-the-air updates to improve functionality and add value over time. The high-speed, high-capacity and low-latency data network also enables true remote operation as part of efforts to introduce autonomous driving capabilities – Sony has even successfully conducted a test in Japan to drive an 01 in Germany remotely.

The Vision-S cars come with a range of 40 sensors, featuring cameras and lidar sensors on the front, sides and rear of the vehicles. According to the manufacturer, the Vision S-02 has a level 2+ semi-autonomous driving capability – currently being verified by tests in Europe – with eventual support for Level 4 autonomy through software updates.

The 02 measures 4,895 mm long, 1,930 mm wide and 1,650 mm tall, slotting between the Tesla Model Y and S in terms of size; its wheelbase, meanwhile, is 3,030 mm long. It weighs 2,480 kg and is powered by twin 200 kW (268 hp) electric motors – that’s 536 hp in total – that propel the car to a top speed of over 180 km/h. Suspension is handled by double wishbones all around with air springs.

Sony announced the dedicated new entity, Sony Mobility, will specifically explore a commercial entry into the EV market.